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(No Model.) v

A. LAUBSGHER.

HEMMBR. No. 560,416. Patented May 19, 1896.

ANBRDN BGRAIMM.PHDTDLITNQWASHINGTDNDL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER LAUBSCHER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEIVHEELER & WILSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

HEMM'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,416, dated May 19,1896.

Application filed April 13, 1895. Serial No. 545,587. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER LAUB- SCHER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHemmers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention, while applicable in part to hemmers generally, hasreference more particularly to that class of such devices which are madecapable of adjustment whereby to adapt them to the formation of hems ofdifferent widths, its object being to produce a hemmer of this classwhich, while capable of making hems of any required widths withinreasonable limits and upon materials of different thicknesses, shall atthe same time permit of the formation of such hems completely around atubular article without interfering therewith. I

To these ends the invention consists in the combination of anedge-turner arranged upon a support, a gage over which the material isfolded to form the hem and capable of being swung back out of operativeposition when required to permit of the passage of the material throughthe hemmer without in any way interfering with it during its passage, atongue for the turner, and means for connecting the gage and tongue tothe support whereby to permit of an adjustment of the gage transverselyof the support as well as of a swinging movement thereon with the tongueto carry them to one side and remove them from the hem.

The invention also consists in various other constructions andcombinations of parts, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a plan view of a hemmer constructed inaccordance with my invention, the several parts being in the positionsthey occupy during the formation of a hem; Fig. 2, a similar view of thehemmer, with the gage which determines the Width of the hem and thetongue which cooperates with the edge-turner swung back out of theiroperative positions and in the relation they will occupy, for instance,when the finishing of a hem around a tubular article is being effected;Fig. 3, a bottom view of the hemmer; and Fig. 4, a longitudinalsectional elevation thereof, taken in the plane x a; in Fig. 3, with aportion of the gage which determines the width of the hem broken out forconvenience in illustration.

In all the figures like letters of reference are employed to designatecorresponding parts.

A indicates the support upon which the various parts of the hemmer areor may be mounted. This support maybe constructed in various forms tosuit the hemmer to the particular location in which it is to beemployed. In the embodiment of the invention here shown, however, it isconstructed in the form of a presser-foot, the purpose of which in theformation of hems it will serve, and. it is provided with a suitable armwhereby to secure it to the presser-bar or other appropriate part of asewing-machine and with an orifice a through which the needle willdescend when such machine is in operation.

B indicates the gage over which the folding of the material to form thehem is effected and by means of which the width of the latter isdetermined. In the construction of the gage various forms may beadopted, it only being essential that, Whatever its form, it be providedwith an appropriate edge I) over which the material may be folded, andwith a body portion upon which such edge is formed or from which it issupported. In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, however,which is the one I prefer in practice, this gage is constructed fromsheet metal and of a general L shape, with the edge I) extend ing alongits shorter arm and with the body portion, constituting the longer armthereof, extending backward from such edge at approximately right anglesthereto and. provided with a longitudinal slot 0. As thus constructedthis gage is secured to the support A in such a manner as to be capableof both a movement transversely of the latter, to adapt the hemmer tothe formation of hems 5 of different widths, and of a swinging movementthereon to permit of its removal from the hem when required. The meanswhereby this securing is effected consists of the block C, upon whichthe gage is fitted to slide and to which it is clamped when in adjustedpo- This block is jointed to the support sition.

by a screw cl, or other equivalent device, which may enter either thebody of such support or an arm 6 extending therefrom, as preferred. Inthe construction of this block, the form that will best suit it to theparticular form of gage in connection with which it will be used will beadopted and the forms of the devices for clamping the gage thereto willbe similarly determined. \Vhenemployed,however,with the form of gageillustrated in the drawings, the block 0 is preferably constructed of acontour to fit the "longitudinal slot 0 in the gage and permit of suchgage by means of its slot sliding back and forth along the block as theadjustment of the gage may require, and the devices whereby the gage isclamped to such block are preferably constructed in the form of a screwf, which extends downward through the slot 0, and, engaging with asuitably-threaded orifice in the block, firmly clamps between the underside of its head and the enlarged plate 9 on the under side of saidblock the gage which rests between them. The gage B being thus securedto the sup port A may be swung around either across the same, asillustrated in Fig. 1, or back to one side thereof, as illustrated inFig. 2, the limits of its movements in one and the other directionsbeing determined by the shoulders or stops it and 2', respectively,which are or may be secured to or formed on the said support. \Vhenswung around into the firstmentioned position, the parts are in therelation they occupy during the formation of a hem, the edge I) thereonbeing then disposed in parallelism to the line of feed of thesewingmachine. \Vhen, on the other hand, the gage is swung back into thelast-mentioned position, the parts are in the relation they occupy whenthe gage is removed from the hem, as in the completion of a hem aroundthe end of a tubular article.

For turning under the edge of the material folded back to form the hemand laying it in proper position to receive the line of stitching theedgeturner D is employed. This edge-turner may be constructed inaccordance with any of the well-known forms of such devices heretoforein use and may be formed either integrally with the support A orseparate therefrom and secured to it, as may be preferred. In the formselected for illustration of the invention, however, it consists of aplate which is fixedly secured to the front of the support A andextending laterally across the same has the portion m thereof curveddownward and backward in hookform, with the outer edge of such plate,from the point I to the extremity of the portion m, inclined inward in adirection oblique to the line of travel of the material as it passesthrough the hemmer. As thus constructed,

the downward and backward curved portion of the turner engages with theedge of the material as it passes through the space formed thereby andnot only turns it down and under upon the surface of the material towhich it is to be secured, but guides it to the needle-ho1e a in thesupport A, and hence to the needle of the sewing-machine, in properrelation to receive the line of stitching s at the edge thereof, beingaided in its operation by the inclined edge with which the turner isprovided.

Cooperating with the ed ge-turner is a ton gue E, which, extending intothe same, is adjustable toward and from the operative surface thereof toadapt the hemmer to form hems in materials of different thicknesses withequal. efficiency, and likewise removable, whereby to permit of theformation of hems without its presence, as is sometimes necessary ordesirable. This tongue may be secured to the support A or to any otherconvenient part of the hemmer, it only being essential that, to whateverpart secured, it be firmly held in position and be capable of adjustmenttoward and away from the operative surface of the turner in connectionwith which it is employed, as well as removable therefrom, as occasionmay demand. It is preferred, however, with the form of hemmer shown inthe drawings to secure it to the block 0 upon which the gage B iscarried, in order to permit of its swinging back and forth from and intothe turner with such gage as the latter is swung back to one side of thesupport A to carry it away from the hem or forward across the same whenits presence in the formation of a hem is desired. For effecting thissecuring of the tongue to the block (1 the tongue is preferablyconstructed with a support TL, which is arranged at approximately rightangles thereto and is provided with a suitably-threaded orifice for thereception of a screw 0, which, passing downward through a slot 1),formed in the block 0, engages therewith and firmly holds the tongue inplace on such block, while yet permitting of its adjustment thereon andremoval when required. This, however, is but one of a number ofdifferent arrangements that may be adopted for securing it thereto, andvarious modifications thereof may be made-as, for instance, instead ofhaving the threaded orifice for the screw 0 formed in the support a andthe slot 1) formed in the block 0 these may be reversed and the threadedorifice formed in the block and the slot formed in the support, ifdesired.

The hemmer being constructed as above explained and applied to thepresser-bar or other convenient part of a sewing-machine, with the gageB properly adjusted to form a hem of the required width and swung aroundacross the support A until the edge I) thereon isbrought intoparallelism to the line of feed of the machine, as illustrated in Fig.1, the formation of hems therewith will be as follows: The material F,upon which the hem is to be formed, is-first passed under the support A,and the other parts of the hemmer carried thereon and folded back uponitself over the edge I) of the gage B in a line parallel thereto. Theinner edge rof the portion so folded back is then carried around thetongue E and through the edge-turner D, and moved forward into 1engagement with the sewing-machine feed.

The sewing-machine is then started and as a result thereof the materialis fed through the hemmer beneath the support A, and the edge 4' of theportion folded back over the edge 17 of the gage B by the hand of theoperator, turned down and under, and delivered in proper relation to theneedle to receive a line of stitching s therein by the edge-turner -Dand the tongue E as it passes between them, the folding of the materialback over the edge I) of the gage B being accomplished by the hand ofthe operator, and the turning down and under of the edge thereof and itsdelivery in proper relation to the needle being effected by the turnerand the tongue therein.

' The formation of the hem will thus continue until it is completed,with the several parts occupying the positions illustrated in Fig. 1,unless an obstruction arises therein which necessitates the withdrawalof the gage B from the hem, as is the case at the completion of ahemaround the end of atubular article as, for instance, a pillow-case-whenthe gage with the tongue E will be swung back to one side of the supportA, or in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the hem completed while theyoccupy that posit-ion.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing that I produce a hemmer which isnot only simple in construction and capable of use in connection withmaterials of difierent thickness, but one which is adapted to theformation of hems of different widths, and that, too, upon the ends oftubular articles without in any way interfering therewith.

Although in the above I have shown and described the adjustable andremovable tongue E as applied in connection with a form of hemmer thatis adapted to the formation of hems of different widths, it is obviousthat its use is not limited thereto, but the same is capable of generalapplication in other hemmers and also in fellers wherein equivalentcombinations to those herein claimed are used and operated with equalefficiency.

Having now described my invention and certain of the ways in which it isor may be carried into efiect, I olairn 1. The combination with asupport of a sewing-machine hemmer, and an edge-turner arranged thereon,of a gage over which the ma terial is folded to form the hem, a tonguefor the turner, and means for connecting such gage and tongue to thesupport, whereby to permit of an adjustment of the gage transversely ofthe support as well as of a swinging movement thereon with the tongue tocarry them to one side of such support and thereby remove them from thehem, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the support of a sewing-machine hemmer adapted toact as a presser-foot, and an edge-turner arranged thereon, a gage overwhich the material is folded to form the hem,a tongue for the turner, ablock upon which the gage may be adjusted to vary the width of the hem,and to which the tongue is secured, jointed to the support whereby toswing thereon and carry such gage and tongue to one side of the supportto remove them from the hem, and means for clamping the gage to saidblock, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the support of a sewing-machine hemmer adapted toact as a presser-foot, an edge-turner arranged thereon, a gage overwhich the material is folded to form the hem and provided with a slot inits body portion, a tongue for the edge-turner, a block, arranged in theslot in such gage, and adapted to slide therein and jointed directly tothe support whereby to swing upon the same to carry the gage and tongueto one side of the support and thereby remove it from the hem, and aclamping-screw for clamping the gage to the block, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination of the support of a sewing-machine hemmer, a gageover which the material is folded to form the hem, a block upon whichthe gage is adjusted and to which it may be secured, jointed directly tothe support whereby to swing thereon and permit of the gage beingcarried across such support and into the hem, or to one side thereof toremove it wholly therefrom, and stops on the support for limiting theswinging movements of such gage on the support in both directions,substantially as described.

5. The combination of the support of a sewing-machine hemmer, anedge-turner arranged thereon, a gage over which the material is foldedto form the hem, a block to which such gage is adj ustably secured,jointed to the support, and a tongue for cooperating with theedge-turner adj ustably secured to the said block whereby to beadjustable toward and away from the operating-surface of the edge-turnerand be capable of a swinging movement with such block, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of the support of a sewin g-machine hemmer, anedge-turner arranged thereon, a block jointed to such support whereby tohave a swinging movement thereon, a tongue for cooperating with saidedge-turner, and means for adj ustably and detachably securing thetongue to such block thereby to permit not only of the swinging of thetongue into and from the turner, and its adjustment toward and away fromthe operating-surface thereof, but also of its removal from the block,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of April,1895.

ALEXANDER LAUBSCHER.

Witnesses:

ISAAC HOLDEN, A. E. PORTER.

